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Serondela Lodge
The local population woke up to find hundreds of dead buffaloes in the Chobe River
Hundreds of buffaloes drowned in a river on the border between Botswana and Namibia.
Early surveys suggest that the herd was pursued by lions and infiltrated into the river, the Botswana authorities said.
A local lodge owner told the BBC that it seemed that the buffaloes were later found stranded because the bank on the other side of the river was too high and that they had panicked and were beaten.
He has never heard of a group of buffaloes of this size before.
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Authorities in Botswana estimate that about 400 buffalos are dead.
The inhabitants of the area picked up the buffaloes and took them home.
The river flows through Chobe National Park, a major tourist attraction known for its large numbers of elephants, giraffes, sables and buffaloes.
Simone Micheletti, who owns a lodge on the Namibian side of the river, said the herd was exceptionally large – about 1,000 buffaloes.
He took pictures of the scene:
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Serondela Lodge
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Serondela Lodge
Mr. Micheletti told the BBC that he had heard the lions roar Tuesday night. When he went to the river on Wednesday morning, he saw hundreds of dead buffaloes.
He added that it was cloudy Tuesday night, so he suspects clouds blocking the moonlight, which means that buffaloes can not see.
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The Botswana Ministry of Environment has issued a statement that massive drownings are not unusual in the Chobe River, but Micheletti says the scale of deaths is unprecedented. The largest mass drowning he has heard of before was about 50 buffaloes.
He said most of the bodies had been removed from the river by people living nearby to eat them, which was explained by the authorities, who gave them permission to do so.
Copyright of the image
Serondela Lodge
Copyright of the image
Serondela Lodge
Copyright of the image
Serondela Lodge
